In a new book, an Indian-American author breaks it down, presenting everything you need to know about the "F-word" you’ve learnt to hate.

Los Angeles-based Indian-American biochemist and writer, Sylvia Tara started researching the subject of fat after she observed that while she ate far less than her friends did, and exercised more, she struggled to lose weight, while all of her friends remained slim. In her new book, Tara shares her findings, complete with experiments and case studies. She covers everything from how fat influences our appetite and willpower, to how it defends itself when attacked, why it grows back so quickly and how our genetics and hormones determine how much fat we have and where it shows. Excerpts from the book:

We spend billions trying to banish it by investing in diet foods, books, exercise clubs, drugs, counselors, and medical treatments. In fact, we spend more on the war on fat than the war on terror — $44.7 billion was budgeted for U.S. Homeland Security in 2014, but about $60 billion was spent fighting fat. And this does not include the $1 billion spent each year on ads promoting products that promise all of us a better life if only we could rid ourselves of our fat.

Though fat is reviled around the globe, the truth is it is simply an organ in our body. That’s right — an organ. This comes as a surprise to many who think fat is merely blubber. But new research is showing us that fat is part of the endocrine system, and scientists have been referring to it as an organ for years. It turns out that fat may be just as important as our colon, lungs, and heart. It also enables puberty, allows our reproductive organs to function, strengthens bones, enhances our immune system, and even boosts our brain size (think of that next time you call someone a fathead!).

Menstruation linked to fat, not age

Dr Rose Frisch was a researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health for over forty-five years. One of her first research projects involved forecasting the food needs of the world’s population. This necessitated determining the weights of citizens of developing nations and estimating their calorie requirements. Frisch undertook the tedious task of collecting thousands of pieces of information, and as she assembled the data, she noticed an unexpected pattern. The largest weight gain in girls seemed to occur immediately before menarche (the start of menstruation in puberty). This in itself was interesting, but even more peculiar was that the peak weight gain occurred at different ages depending on each girl’s neighborhood. For example, Pakistani girls in urban areas had their peak weight gain at the age of twelve, followed soon after by menstruation. But girls in poor rural areas experienced their biggest weight gain and onset of puberty at fourteen — a two-year delay. Why would this be?

Upon further analysis, she found that regardless of when females matured, they experienced the same average weight gain right before menarche, which took place at an average weight of 103 pounds. For some unknown reason, weight was critical to puberty.

After an extended period of analysis, she found that the tissue that increased most dramatically during puberty was fat. Girls experienced about a 49 percent jump in body fat just before menarche — thirteen pounds, on average. Frisch determined that there was a minimum requirement of 17 percent body fat in order for menstruation to begin at puberty, but 22 percent body fat was needed to continue regular menstruation as girls approached the age of sixteen. Without this proportion of fat, girls would not be ready to reproduce. It was an astounding finding. People thought puberty started when girls reached a certain age. Frisch had discovered that sexual maturity was instead linked directly to fat

To Frisch, the “body fat connection” made sense. The survival of a newborn depends on its birth weight, which is correlated to a mother’s weight before pregnancy as well as what she gains during gestation. Fat is a signal to the body that there is enough nourishment available for offspring to survive.

Fat and bone — one strengthens the other

It may surprise you to learn that fat and bone share a common origin. They are both created from the same stem cells within the bone marrow. Stem cells are the multipotent cells in our bodies that develop into various cell types depending on the body’s needs. The stem cell that eventually becomes a fat cell is also capable of turning into a bone cell. Fat and bone are like twins that come from the same birthplace. As such, they have a unique relationship to one another. They can even turn into one another when prompted — it’s been shown in the laboratory that after differentiating into a fat cell, that same cell can be provoked to turn into a bone cell. It sounds like science fiction, but is true.

So what makes the stem cell in marrow turn into a bone or fat cell? It depends on the environment and the needs of the body. Researchers have known for some time that people who are heavier have stronger bones. One trigger thus appears to be weight. Being heavier seems to convert stem cells into new bone cells to fortify the skeleton. In fact, weight is a better predictor of bone mineral density (BMD), a measure of risk fracture, than age. Estrogen also affects stem cell conversion to bone or fat. Insufficient fat not only leads to very low BMI, but also to insufficient estrogen; both conditions cause weak bones. In patients with anorexia nervosa, bone fracture becomes a serious risk.

Postmenopausal women in particular rely on their fat to protect their bones. Not only does their weight trigger stem cell conversion to bone rather than fat, but as the ovaries stop producing estrogen, fat becomes the primary source.

How fat fights to stay on you

Rudy Leibel, Michael Rosenbaum, and Joseph Proietto showed the many ways fat preserves itself. Through leptin, it can increase or decrease hormone levels, influence skeletal muscle and the nervous system, stimulate the mind to want more food, all in a concerted effort to reduce energy expenditure and sharply increase intake. But other researchers discovered another strange phenomenon. Fat, it appeared, could create a blood supply in order to promote its own growth.

More recently, researchers have learned that fat tissue can do the same thing as tumors. As fat becomes enlarged from overeating, it reacts by releasing the same chemical signals that go to nearby veins, causing them to sprout in the direction of the fat. This creates additional blood supply, which delivers nutrients and oxygen that enable the fat to thrive and ultimately produce new fat cells.

Outfoxed by fat?

It is not impossible to fight back against fat, but it takes a great deal of effort. There are a few ways to deal with fat’s wiliness. One way is to mediate hunger and get sufficient sleep. Lack of sleep is associated with low leptin and high ghrelin levels, a combination that increases hunger, reduces satiation, and leads to obesity. Research shows that about seven hours of sleep per night balances our hormones, keeping our leptin high and ghrelin low throughout the day. When you do eat after a good night’s rest, take in plenty of water and low-calorie fiber, as provided in leafy green salads. Food volume causes the stomach to stretch, which is a signal to lower ghrelin release and decrease hunger. Also, research shows that eating soluble fiber (found in onions, garlic, leeks, bananas, barley, rye, and legumes) lowers ghrelin levels in our circulation. Add to that salad some protein and fats, which are known to release CCK and PYY, the two hormones released from the gut that enhance satiation. Adding strength-building exercises can offset the muscle efficiency and slowing of metabolism that occurs after losing fat because additional muscle will burn more calories.

The main tool to ensure longterm weight loss is persistence. Once you’ve gained weight and need to lose it, your challenge is harder than that of someone who’s only maintaining a weight they are at naturally. Just as fat is wily, clever, and tenacious, you will need the same qualities to fight it back. Given the right motivations, long-term weight loss can be accomplished.

Excerpted with permission from The Secret Life of Fat by Sylvia Tara (Aleph Book Company)

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